Sam Burnside, poet and founder of the Verbal Arts Centre in Derry-Londonderry, died on April 2 at age 82.

From County Antrim, Burnside lived in Derry-Londonderry for decades. He established the Verbal Arts Centre in 1992 as an educational charity on Bishop Street Within near Derry's Walls to advance literature, spoken word and storytelling.

Burnside wrote poetry and novels. His poem The Cathedral won the Sunday Tribune/Hennessy Literary Award for Poetry in 1989. His first collection, Walking the Marches, came out in 1990. He received the William Allingham Poetry Prize, the University of Ulster’s McCrea Literary Award for Literature and a Bass Ireland Award. His debut novel My Name is Rebecca appeared in 2021.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland noted his MBE award in 2012 for services to the arts. He served on its board from 1995 to 2002 and retired as director of the Verbal Arts Centre that year.

Burnside's novel My Name is Rebecca centers on a woman who encounters her sister's killer, released under the Good Friday Agreement, 25 years after a bomb blast in central Belfast.

He was predeceased by his wife Stella. Survivors include children Sarah, Kate and John.